"If it's Tuesday, it must be . . ." tumblr. Week Six

Tuesday is here again, and you know what that means, dear reader — if it's Tuesday, it must be tumblr. However,  before I send you there, I would like to share a few thoughts about November, since today is also November First.

This past Thursday, when I was walking home to my studio apartment in the Upper Westside of Manhattan, the rain was falling heavily, and even though it was only somewhere between five-thirty and six in the evening, it was quite dark, prompting me to think that soon we'd be changing the clocks  (fyi, the date to do this is the second Sunday in November to leave daylight savings time), and that it would be getting darker much earlier in the evening.
The streets were quiet that evening; and while the hour said it should be dusk, "the state or period of partial darkness between day and night; the dark part of twilight", the darkness, enhanced by the heavy rain, was more than "partial", and it was quite peaceful, as it always seems to be when November approaches.  The very early part of November. The part before it becomes Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving becomes Christmas (or Chanukah, or Kwanzaa), and Christmas becomes New Year's and New Year's becomes Valentine's Day and Valentine's Day becomes Easter (or Passover), and Easter (or Passover) becomes Memorial Day, and Memorial Day becomes The Fourth of July, and The Fourth of July becomes Labor Day, and Labor Day becomes Halloween, and then it is November and where did its thirty days go?


It always seems they go by quickly (even if some "single" days can feel like they are a year long), and, because time passes the way it does, November, with the change of colors it brings to the leaves (at least in the northeastern part of the United States where I live), is a good time to remember.


I am aware of the fact that the expression, "remember November" has election connotations associated with it, but my association (perhaps because I am an urban gardener) with remembering and November is to appreciate the changing colors of the leaves which happens at this time. My Ipomocea multifida (Cardinal Climber AKA "CC"), which was lush with emerald-green leaves and bursting with red flowers only  just a couple of months ago (please click here for my September 8th 2011 post about my then thriving "CC"), is now sporting an array of colored leaves (evidenced in two of the photographs included with this posting.These beautiful leaves will soon be falling. and therefore it is essential that I heed the advice offered in Elizabeth Lawrence's quote: "Even if something is left undone, everyone must take time to sit still and watch the leaves turn." 


Ms. Lawrence did not live in this digital age where folks rarely take time to look up from their hand-held devices (even while they are walking across city streets), much less look at nature, but it is November First, and just as the leaves are changing, we too can turn a new leaf in our routines and stop – yes I did say stop — and watch the leaves turn. This is November's answer to spring's adage, "stop and smell the roses"!


And it is almost too late for those who live in the northeastern tri-state to do this, to stop and watch the leaves turn, for we were "hit" this past Saturday by an unexpected raging snowstorm (albeit a "soupy and gloopey one) that knocked many of the leaves off our vines, shrubs, and trees! However, the vines, shrubs and trees are resilient and forgiving: they will give us another chance to watch the leaves turn.


In fact, my Continus Coggygria AKA Smokey Bush, Royal Purple, and Grace, seemed to delight in the icy-soup of snow that pounded on her leaves and branches; she was very cavalier about the whole thing; and she even seemed to be playing catch (and maybe she could teach our — ahem — New York baseball teams a thing or two about catching) with the cold mushy snow that fell upon her. This is evident in the image posted below:

Leaves, as you know, dear reader, are a big part of my inspiration, or I would not have called my blog, The Last Leaf Gardener, as per a story which you may refer to by clicking here. And the leaves of my Continus Coggygria AKA Smokey Bush, Royal Purple, and Grace are no exception.


I have written about this magnificent shrub in a number of previous blog entries including ones which you may refer to by clicking here as well as here and here and here, and you will find more (but not all) by clicking here and here and here. Additionally, I have featured images of my Continus Coggygria's leaves within my Flickr Gallery in a set called AUTUMN LEAVES: "Even if something is left undone, everyone must take time to sit still and watch the leaves turn,"  and if you'd like to view them, please click here, and look for the set with the aforementioned name.


Moreover, the leaves of ny Continus Coggygria provided the inspiration for an all occasion greeting card which I created called 'Grace' (Smokey Bush). This card is wonderful for sending to someone near and dear to you at any time, but it is particularly nice for sending at this time of year.


This lovely card is featured within the Card Shoppe Pages of my web-site, Patricia Youngquist Photo-Art ,and a link to find its location within the aforementioned pages may be found by clicking here.
      
But, since it is Tuesday, that means it must be tumblr —  and you may get there by clicking here —  but before you do,sit still and watch the leaves turn before they fall completely, before this November First becomes  Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving becomes Christmas (or Chanukah, or Kwanzaa), and Christmas becomes becomes New Year's and New Year's becomes Valentine's Day and Valentine's Day becomes Easter (or Passover), and Easter (or Passover) becomes Memorial Day, and Memorial Day becomes The Fourth of July, and The Fourth of July becomes Labor Day, and Labor Day becomes Halloween, and then it is November and you find yourself saying, where did its thirty days go?

AFTER YOU HAVE WATCHED THE LEAVES TURN AND HAVE TIME,  I'd like to hear your thoughts which you may share via the "comments field" below. If you are new to posting this type of thing, you may click here for directions.

Today's the last Saturday of October 2011! Question: Will it be Halloween's Last Stand?

If you have been following my blog, then you are probably aware that some of the things which I grow in my urban (New York City) terrace garden have taken it upon themselves to express their thoughts and opinions by authoring blog entries and posting them within this blog.


This "hoopla" — which has caused one of the Halloween pumpkins that I currently have in my garden to be overcome with laughter as seen in the image to in the upper lefthand corner —  all started in April of 2010, when my blog was only a little over four months old, and one of the flowers from my Paeonia suffruiticosa (Tree Peony), posted a photograph of herself with a short narrative. (If you would like to refer to this, please click here.)

As time passed, word got out among the plants, vines, flowers, herbs, trees and shrubs — which totaled a little over eighty when I last took a census — that the flower from my Paeonia suffruiticosa had done this, and many of the things which I grow began authoring entries on my blog. (This fact has  caused another one of the Halloween pumpkins that I currently have in my garden to also be overcome with laughter as seen in the image at the right.)



For example, this past April (2011), a little over a year to the day of my Paeonia suffruiticosa flower's post, one of my tulips had a reaction to the poem, Tulips, by Sylvia Plath, and she, my darling tulip, expressed her feelings in an entry which you may refer to by clicking here. Moreover, she even followed up on her thoughts about Plath's poem in a subsequent entry which you may refer to by clicking here.


However, in the "interim" of my tulip's "prose", not wanting to be outdone, my Physocarpus opulifolius (Coppertina), went to great lengths to weigh in with his position on life in my urban terrace garden, and if you'd like to read what he had to say — I'm sure he would appreciate his voice being heard — you may do so by clicking here. 


Meanwhile, my Helichrysum bracteatum (Strawflowers), has also "penned" (or shall I say "key-boarded"?) her thoughts too in a blog post which may be found by clicking here, while my Penniestum setaceum (Purple Fountain Grass), on behalf of herself and my Acer palmatum, posted a letter requesting assistance, so that an image of them taken by yours truly could be rendered in a manner that it, too, could be used for one of the greeting cards, invitations or event program covers that I design, produce, and sell within the Card Shoppe Pages (which you can view by clicking here) of my web-site, Patricia Youngquist Photo-Art. 

Knowing that my Physocarpus opulifolius was allowed to be so prolific in its blog post, and knowing that my Helichrysum bracteatum shared her deepest concerns in "blog-format", and knowing that my Penniestum setaceum took to the task of letter writing, has caused some of the other Halloween pumpkins that I currently have in my garden to now join in with the laughter — seen in the image posted below.

Meanwhile, part of all of the "pumpkin laughter" that is currently taking place in my terrace garden as Halloween approaches (it arrives in three days counting today) is because not only do they know that many more of the things which I grow in my garden have authored posts on my blog, but the pumpkins are aware that the things which I grow have also let their opinions be heard in different ways in addition to directly posting to this blog.


For example, my yellow rose not only authored a post (this past May, which you may refer to by clicking here) for the blog which you are reading now, but she convinced me to state one of her positions regarding the term "eye-candy" on nybg's (New York Botanical Garden) tumblr! This can found by clicking here, and scrolling until you see pictures of yellow roses (taken by yours truly). These images are accompanied with my rose's thoughts — exactly as they were told to me.

Some of my other pumpkins seem to be in joyful agreement that it was their 
heartfelt reaction to my rose's thoughts on the term "eye-candy" that brought them some "well-deserved" press that
they received in this past Thursday's blog entry, which you may refer to by clicking here.


But, having proclaimed throughout today's blog entry that my pumpkins are sharing in the joy of seeing what I grow in my garden be given the opportunity to express themselves, I should have suspected that they had an alternate motive! (In spite of how "innocent" they look in the image posted below.)

Yes, even pumpkins have their price! I have come to realize the main reason for my pumpkins' laughter today is from their over hearing the latest "news" regarding Halloween. They have brought it to my attention that Timothy Larson, an elected representative from Connecticut, wants to move Halloween to the last Saturday in October instead of keeping it on October 31st, as it has been since the beginning of Halloween tradition.


"How," my pumpkins are asking, "can a holiday such as Halloween which is equated with All Hallo'ws Eve  (the night before All Saints Day which is celebrated on November the First) be moved?"  My pumpkins did not stop with their question, but they continued with their thoughts and reminded me of how "silly" this idea is, given that, "the very word Halloween is first attested in the Sixteenth Century and it represents a Scottish variant of the fuller All-Hallows-Even ('evening') that is, the night before Hallows Day." 


As you may have surmised, dear reader, from my pumpkins' accurate interetation of the misused term "eye-candy" by certain gardeners, (discussed in yesterday's blog post which you may refer to by clicking here), they are quite well read and make informed remarks; they tell me their source for the aforementioned fact about the "Scottish variant" as well as other interesting facts surrounding "the reasons on why Halloween is celebrated on OCTOBER THE THIRTY-FIRST, " can be found by clicking here.  


My pumpkins point out — and rightly so —  why are law makers spending money on things like moving a holiday which is  rooted in history, instead of creating jobs and heath care for their constituents? Will this lead to only celebrating the Fourth of July on the closest Monday for the public's long week-end convenience? (This happened with Memorial Day, a fact that I mentioned (yes the things which I grow in my garden do let me do the blog posting from time to time) in a couple of blog entries this past May which you may refer to by clicking here and here). 


Moreover, will the beginning of a calendar year change to the first Monday closest to January 1st to create a long week-end for the law-makers who spend their time creating such changes instead of programs that their constituents need?


How long will it before lawmakers try to forbid it to snow or rain on days that precipitation would cramp their style? 


Be that as it may, the conversation regarding changing Halloween has been started; there is a lot of media agenda surrounding it, including a You Tube video on the subject which is posted below:




AND WITH THIS,  WE MAY SOON BE NEARING THE END OF ANOTHER TRADITION, BUT NOT BEFORE WE CELEBRATE THE "OFFICIAL" HALLOWEEN THIS COMING MONDAY!  If you are interested in getting any of my Halloween cards (that have been mentioned in previous posts throughout this month of October) you can view the selections of cards that I have designed for  Halloween via the Card Shoppe Pages of my web-site Patricia Youngquist Photo-Art. A link to the specific location for these cards within the Card Shoppe Pages may be found by clicking here. They are only available in boxed sets on the Internet due to shipping regulations. However, if you live in the New York City area, my Halloween cards may be purchased as "singles" via Gifts by Helen, the woman who sells the painted cat rocks which have been featured in a number of my previous blog posts that you may refer to with a downloadable brochure that can be accessed by clicking here or by referring to the labels menu on the left hand side of this blog entry and referring to either Gifts by Helen or Painted Rocks. Please click here for her vending location and her contact information. If you decide to e-mail her, please indicate in the subject line of your email that you read about her endeavors on this blog. And, if you would like to contact me about any of the content in today's blog post and prefer to leave your questions or concerns in a "comment" as opposed to sending me an e-mail, but you are new to posting things in a "comments field", you may click here for directions.

Friday Follow-Up: bees in bonnets can be good (Follow ups on bees and SAINTS)

According to one source, when one has "a bee in their bonnet", it means that they are "being preoccupied or obsessed with an idea".


And when it comes to the "visiting bees" in my urban (New York City) terrace garden, I have been preoccupied, actually mesmerized, by the bees which have been feasting on my Hyssop plants. This is evident in the array of blog entries I have made on this blog regarding them, including ones that you may refer to by clicking here as well as here and here. Additionally I authored a post related to my "visiting bees" for nybg's (New York Botanical Gardens) tumblr that you may refer to by clicking here. Moreover, I have posted some images of my visiting bees within my Flickr Gallery. They are located in a set called the HYSSOP and the BEE, and you may view it by clicking here.

Even though there are two "visiting" bees that are "captured" in the photograph directly above, the bees which have been coming to my terrace garden are now fewer in number and they appear to be much smaller.



Juan V was over this past Tuesday afternoon, and we surmised that the little bees must be the ones that are sent out when the temperatures get colder. (-;
However, no matter what size they are, the concentrated efforts of my visiting bees are highly appreciated by yours truly.


The diligence and focus of these special insects is awesome and causes me to think that their very actions of seemingly "obsessing" on my Hyssop plants may be an "explanation" for the aforementioned phrase relating "bees in bonnets" to "preoccupation." My "visiting bees" continue to just focus on what they are doing, ignoring my gardening efforts as well as those of Juan V (which is good since we don't want to be stung). The results of our efforts can be glimpsed in an aerial view that he took of my terrace garden this past Tuesday (posted below). My "visiting bees" are off camera to the left doing their routine work

One of the pumpkins which is part of the Halloween decor can be seen smiling in the upper left portion of the image, but since Halloween is now four days away (including today), it will soon retire for the year, and I am afraid that my visiting bees will soon retire for the year too as temperatures drop. Even though these bees continue to nibble on my Hyssop plants, you can see (in the photographs posted at the beginning of today's blog entry as well as those below),

that the "visiting bees" are blending in more and more with the Hyssop Plants because they have eaten a lot of the "good stuff" (purple foliage) from the Hyssop already, and, also, the purple petals are beginning to drop due to wind which is brought on by  the fall season. Additionally, the Hyssop's petals are being knocked off by the heavy rainfall that we have been experiencing in the tri-state area. Still, because my Hyssop grows in containers, it can dry out even with rainfall, so I am doing my part to continue to hand water my Hyssop plants in an effort to continue their growth as long as possible and to provide "fuel" for my "visiting bees"; besides, as many studies indicate (including a report which you can read by clicking here) most every one knows bees "influence our foods by pollinating our vegetables, nuts, flowers and fruits."


Furthermore, as the aforementioned report points out, "all over the country bees are disappearing. Out of over 2.4 million colonies, over 25% have disappeared so far, and the causes aren't known. The American Apiary Inspectors say that they are talking about bees counting in tens of billions (and) . . . the bee shortage is getting worse now . . . the United States isn't the only country with the same problem. There are plenty of other countries throughout Europe and from other parts of the world."  


Evidently one of the main suspects is  a substance known as Imidacloprid (also known as Gaucho), which is a pesticide that is used all the time in Europe and America . . . (to keep) "pests away from home lawns, golf courses, and residential fountains."  Reportedly (in France) many bees died from being exposed to Gaucho, not because they were directly killed by it as a result of coming into contact with it, but because "they became disoriented by it, and so they had trouble reaching their hives"; the aforementioned article points out that  French beekeepers called the phenomenon, "mad bee disease" — I am here today to say, how could they label this incident "mad bee disease"  when in fact, the ultimate destruction of bees in this matter (making bees disoriented) is brought on by humans, which would make it a mad human disease not a "mad bee disease" — in my humble opinion.


However, the disorientation of bees brought on by being in contact with a side effect of a man-made chemical happens with humans too. I have seen this in the lives of the residents at a "home" where I have been doing volunteer work since 2003, as I indicated in an April 2011 post titled A & P Catholics.


One of the residents whom I'll call Ms. A (not the one pictured in the aforementioned blog entry nor the one seen in a post which you may refer to by clicking here) who lives there, has a habit of going into screaming fits where she seems to be yelling at imaginary people or reliving an awful memory. It only happens from time to time, but when it does the other residents' surmise that Ms. A is having a reaction to medication. They all seem to fear that they are powerless over meds which are prescribed and they live in fear that they will have a similar fate and be disoriented like Ms. A.


While it is true that I don't live in circumstances where I am forced to take meds, I can certainly empathize with the fears of the residents. Once upon a time, in the late 1980's I had a surgical procedure at a well known New York Hospital, and I was heavily sedated. The procedure took place on a Friday and it was one that required my staying in the hospital for a few days. A friend came to visit me and I complimented her earrings to which she replied, "I'm not wearing earrings!" For some reason, we concluded I was too high from the meds which I had been given. I felt out of control but the nurses would not stop giving me meds because my doctor had ordered them. Disoriented as I was, my survival instincts took over, and using the metal IV pole with attached wheels I made my way down the hall to a pay phone, where I made a collect call to my doctor, begging him to notify the hospital to take me off the meds. The next thing I knew it was the following morning and I awoke to find a private nurse siting there — asleep and snoring with a newspaper in her lap. For a number of years since that time, my doctor joked that I had called him  — collect — from the hospital.


However, residents stuck in living centers may not have the where-with-all to fight the issue regarding meds that are making them disoriented, and bees certainly are unable to fend for themselves in matters regarding pesticides. The only thing we can do, dear reader, is to pray that society will be kind to one another and to all living creatures. If this seems like a hopeless endeavor to you, than perhaps the saint whose works we honor and commemorate today can help.  After all, this day, October the 28th, is associated with Saint Jude, patron saint of hopeless cases.


As we come to the end of October, a month which begins on a saint's day, St. Thérèse de Lisieux, which was discussed in a blog entry which you may refer to by clicking here, and  has its mid-point  (October the Fifteenth) on another saint's day, Saint Teresa of Ávila, discussed in a blog entry which you may refer to by clicking here , it is only "politically correct' to include Saint Jude, whose intercession has reportedly helped many, including yours truly.


AND AS WE NEAR THE END OF ANOTHER WEEK , WE  WILL SOON BE NEARING THE END OF ANOTHER MONTH BUT NOT BEFORE WE CELEBRATE HALLOWEEN. If you are interested in getting any of my Halloween cards (that have been mentioned in previous posts throughout this month of October) you can view the selections of cards that I have designed for  Halloween via the Card Shoppe Pages of my web-site Patricia Youngquist Photo-Art. A link to the specific location for these cards within the Card Shoppe Pages may be found by clicking here. They are only available in boxed sets on the Internet due to shipping regulations. However, if you live in the New York City area, my Halloween cards may be purchased as "singles" via Gifts by Helen, the woman who sells the painted cat rocks which have been featured in a number of my previous blog posts that you may refer to with a downloadable brochure that can be accessed by clicking here or by referring to the labels menu on the left hand side of this blog entry and referring to either Gifts by Helen or Painted Rocks. Please click here for her vending location and her contact information. If you decide to e-mail her, please indicate in the subject line of your email that you read about her endeavors on this blog. And, if you would like to contact me about any of the content in today's blog post and prefer to leave your questions or concerns in a "comment" as opposed to sending me an e-mail, but you are new to posting things in a "comments field", you may click here for directions.

On Not Being "Eye-Candy" for Halloween

If you have followed this blog, then you have probably surmised from a number of my previous blog posts which you may refer to by clicking here as well as here and here, I am a MUTTS (the name of this comic strip) fan, and I highly encourage you to follow it regularly. If it is not available in your local newspaper, you can always catch it by clicking here.


Like a few of Mutt's characters, Earl and Mooch, a couple of the things which I grow in my urban (New York City) terrace garden, have been noticing happy faced Halloween pumpkins, and they too have been wondering, What's so funny? For example take my Rose, Tropaelum majus (Nasturtium), Hakanechola Macra (Japanese Forest Grass All Gold), and my Strawberry plants, all in close proximity of the Halloween pumpkins that are currently in my garden as seen in the photograph posted below:

One of them (ahem) my yellow rose, became disgruntled the other day when she realized that the New York Botanical Gardens  (NYBG) had posted a photograph of a pink rose with raindrop kissed petals and labeled it as one of their selections for "Morning Eye Candy" and she took it upon herself to post her response on their blog! (Please click here to read it, although you may have to scroll a bit, but you'll recognize her picture immediately as it looks very much like the one of her which is posted below):

In any event, my feisty yellow rose (who also posted on my blog this past May in an entry that you may refer to by clicking here), was taken aback that other roses have been referred to as "Morning Eye Candy" by NYBG, AND, that is why my pumpkins are laughing. If  there's one thing pumpkins know about (because of their presence at Halloween), it's candy, and evidently they do not perceive the term "Eye Candy" to be complimentary. But then my pumpkins are vey well read,and so they laughed and laughed when they told my yellow rose the definition of "Eye Candy";  and I'll quote what they told her (and you can check their source by clicking here) as I was nosey and eavesdropped.



"One: a person or people considered highly attractive to look at, often implying that they are lacking intelligence or depth and Two: something intended to be attractive to the eye without being demanding or contributing anything essential."


"Do you really want to be just another pretty face and not contributing anything substantial?", my pumpkins laughed as they questioned my yellow rose. This gave my rose cause for some reflection, and for now she seems to be content to be a part of the eighty plus things which I grow in my terrace garden, and she's happy that some lovely  images  of her are now on Flickr, which you may view by clicking here and selecting the set titled roses.


As for one of the flowers of my still thriving Tropaelum majus (Nasturtium), who can be seen peeking into the scene in the first photograph of today's blog entry, but, in full view in the image of her posted below,

she and her Tropaelum majus (Nasturtium) comrades are continuing to bloom in full force, producing the same results that they did when they first moved into my garden this past May. They ultimately have continued brining their "Giverny" feel to my place: a situation which I initially blogged about this past June; to read that post and view lovely images of my Tropaelum majus, please click here. To view an array of my Tropaelum majus's images, please visit my Flickr gallery by clicking here and going to the set titled Tropaelum majus (Nasturtium).


My Hakanechola Macra (Japanese Forest Grass All Gold) seen in the lower right hand corner just below one of the pumpkins of the first photograph in today's blog entry, is unfazed by the "eye-candy" reference; then again, perhaps it has more confidence than my yellow rose because its image was featured on my 2010 Christmas card; if you'd like to refer to this, please click here. Then again perhaps my Hakanechola Macra was non-plussed by NYBG's "eye-candy" references, because it was already on tumblr at the time. Wanna see? Cluck here and scroll just a bit to find my photographs of my Hakanechola Macra touting its purple flowers.


As for the Strawberry plants seen in the photograph with the pumpkins, they are being quiet about my pumpkin's insights regarding the term "eye-candy" as they have yet to produce strawberries —  even though they were featured on my blog in a post that you may refer to by clicking here.


Perhaps my pumpkin's wisdom, in pointing out the definition of "eye-candy" comes from the amount of light he has inside of him as indicated in an image of him posted below:

It is faces like his which make you want to spread the cheer at this time of year. My suggestion for doing this? Send a card to those near and dear to you, and preferably send one designed by yours truly because they were produced in such a manner that they fold out into a picture which is suitable for framing. The cards which I have designed for Halloween are available in boxed sets via the Card Shoppe Pages of my web-site, Patricia Youngquist Photo-Art, and if you click here, you will be taken to the exact spot on the page where they are located.


Additionally, since time is of the essence regarding this year's Halloween holiday, if you live in the New York city area, you can purchase them as "singles" via Helen at Gifts by Helen, please click here for location details.


THAT'S IT FOR TODAY BUT AS always, I appreciate it when you weigh in with your thoughts, ideas and reactions on any topic I've discussed. If you are new to posting this type of thing, you may click here for directions.

WEDNESDAY'S WISDOM: "If cats could talk, they probably wouldn't ."

Halloween is a mere six days away (including today) and while it is a favorite time of humans, "who excitedly plan their costumes of spooks, vampires and monsters, in anticipation of (it), cats, particularly black cats, have little cause for celebration this month,", says Franny Syufy (in her article, October: Black Cat Month: The Perils of Halloween, which you may read in full by clicking here).  

If indeed the fate of some black cats  on Halloween is as bleak the aforementioned article indicates, this may explain why the painted cat rock in the upper-right hand corner has such a pensive expression on his face. It seems one never knows what is going on in the minds of cats.


My friends who have cats seem to be in agreement with a quote that claims, "If cats could talk they probably wouldn't, " which is attributed to Nan Porter (whose identity remains a mystery even to the most powerful Google Search Engine).



Not being a cat owner yet hearing a cat in heat yelling across my court-yard causes me to be unsure of the total truth of Porter's sentiment. Perhaps, cats do speak, but folks may not be listening. Be that as it may, it is very sad to think that there are people out there who would use Halloween — or any other occasion for that matter — as an excuse to torture black cats — or any living thing. However, since it is true that cats are not able to verbalize, they are unable to get the word out there that they need protection. It is a blessing that there are people who will speak for the felines, protecting their lives, and trying to prevent cruelty from being bestowed on them — whether it be as a Halloween prank or otherwise.


That being said, there are many more people who appreciate cats than there are those who torment them. The successful Broadway musical, Cats, based on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot, (an author who I have referred to in previous posts which you may refer to by clicking here as well as here and here). Eliot's literary work regarding cats is just one example of how much cats are appreciated in the arts, and as a matter of fact, an image of the eyes of a black cat adorn the cover of the CD recording of this musical.

Additionally, another person (an artist) expressing  her appreciation of cats by "using" them in art work is Phyllis, the artist who creates portraits of cats on rocks (and who I have referred to in my pervious blog entries which you may find by clicking here as well as here and here and here). She has recently designed some especially unique black ones, as evidenced by the images accompanying today's blog entry. The eyes of the cat rock to the immediate left remind me of the cat's eyes featured on the aforementioned CD cover (as seen below in the Wiki Image associated with a link you can access here).

Helen has Phyllis's new (black-cat) painted cat rocks at her "vending station", and as always she is featuring them with an array of other painted cat rocks (all by Phyllis). In addition to the painted rocks, Helen's other unique gift items include journals and photograph albums that are made of natural materials — a fact that I have described in a previous post which you may re-read by clicking here. 


Furthermore, I have produced mini-movies (Virtual Stories) that are based on Phyllis and Helen's novelties. These are currently available for viewing in my Vimeo Library and the specific links to the aforementioned films may be found by clicking here and here. If, dear reader, you happen to be an artist, a vendor, or a shopkeeper and are looking for a way to promote your "products", I would love to discuss producing a virtual story for you that would promote your endeavors in a personal manner. Should this be of interest to you, please feel free to leave me a few details in the "comments field" below this blog post, or if you prefer, you may send me an e-mail by clicking here.  


Additionally, my Virtual Stories, are not limited to showcasing gift items. As of this blog entry, I have sixteen Virtual Stories in my Vimeo Library,which include a garden-themed movie called The Kiwi Speaks! Fifteen Minutes of Fame (almost), that I have blogged about in a previous post, which includes a trailer and you may refer to it by clicking here. Moreover, my Vimeo Library also includes The Miracle on 71st Street. This Virtual Story is also discussed in a prior blog entry and if you'd like to refer to this, please click here.

Another Virtual Story included in my Vimeo Library is a fun-loving movie dedicated to Apple's trainers (this was blogged about in a post which you may read about by clicking here), and there is a touching Virtual Story (memorial) that was produced for a friend who lost her friend to AIDS. I plan to blog about this in November, as it is the month dedicated to all souls.


I encourage you to follow this blog for details on my Virtual Stories; and invite you to view and download the "calling card" which I am using to promote them. It may be found by clicking here, and if you are interested in having me produce one for you for a memorial, wedding, tribute, or any occasion, please leave me a few details on the "comments field" below this blog entry, or, if you prefer, you may send me an e-mail regarding this by clicking here.

Meanwhile, the link to see my other Virtual Stories that are not mentioned in this blog entry may be found by clicking here, and if you need one within the formats that these have been produced, either post your request in the "comments field" below this blog entry or send me an e-mail by clicking here.

That's it for today, dear reader, except to remind you how good it makes someone feel when you reach out to them, and how good it feels to you when you do this for someone near and dear to you. Even Phyllis's painted cat rocks are aware of this as evidenced by the little brown one who has joined the soulful looking block one who appeared alone at the top of todays blog entry. One way we can reach out to others is by sending greeting cards and Helen is currently selling my Halloween greeting cards as "singles" —  they are only in boxed sets on the Card Shoppe Pages of my web-site, Patricia Youngquist Photo-Art. If you'd like to see what they look like before heading over to Helen's,  click here for a direct link to where they are posted on the  Card Shoppe Pages.


P.S. If you are interested in getting any of my cards as "singles" or any of the painted rocks  as well as any of Helen's gift items, please click here for her vending location and her contact information. If you decide to e-mail her, please indicate that you read about her endeavors on this blog in the subject line of your email. AND if you would like to contact me about my producing a virtual story for you, and prefer to leave your questions or concerns in a "comment" as opposed to sending me an e-mail, but  are new to posting things in a "comments field", you may click here for directions.

"If it's Tuesday, it must be . . ." tumblr. Week Five

It's Tuesday again! And not only is it Tuesday, it is the last Tuesday of October 2011, meaning there are only seven (including today) days until Halloween. The New York Botanical Garden's tumblr (nybg) pages are full of news regarding events to honor this occasion, especially ones that center around the carving of world's fourth largest pumpkin (which weighs 1,693 pounds) that took place this past Friday (click here for the story) and whose seeds can fetch up to $1,000.00 a piece!



My learning about the hefty prices those seeds are selling for caused me to think of D-Man, the young boy who lives in the building directly west of me and maintains a little garden as I have indicated in my previous posts which you may refer to by clicking here as well as here (and if you'd like to read what he said about my garden, please refer to the comments made on a blog entry which I made in the month of May (2010) by clicking here).


Meanwhile, one of D-Man's garden endeavors is caring for his pumpkin plant, whose seeds — he hopes — may ultimately produce the next pumpkin to set the world record for pumpkin size! Therefore, in honor of pumpkins and urban garden endeavors, I've put a shout out to D-man's efforts (using a narrative with images including the same ones posted above today's blog entry) on nybg tumblr! After all, another thing about today being Tuesday, it must be tumblr, so please click here to go there!


P.S. As always, dear reader, I appreciate it when you weigh in with your thoughts, ideas and reactions. If you are new to posting this type of thing, you may click here for directions. And, just a reminder, letting you know that if you still have not had a chance to get Halloween cards, I have designed some interesting ones that fold out into a picture which is suitable for framing! Please click here to view my selections of delightful greeting cards that are "located" in the Card Shoppe Pages of my web-site, Patricia Youngquist Photo Art.